InkdeathRemix
by Whatsthenews
Summary: I ,Gina Torivo, have been read into Inkdeath by none other than Orpheus himself. He also got a hold of my copy of Inkdedeath while Inkdeath itself is still unwinding. Can it get any worse? ... Yes it can. rated K for drinking refrences
1. Reconciling

Reconciling

Here I am… in the dungeon deep below Ombra Castle. I still can't believe that only a week ago I was lying on my cozy bed reading my absolutely favorite book, Inkdeath. Then I was taken to this Inkworld by none other than my favorite character in the book, Orpheus. I know he was the bad guy, but he was really good at being the bad guy, but now I know why every other character (other than himself) in Inkspell and Inkdeath had hated him. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself, let me start from the beginning…

A week ago I was sitting in my room, it was about nine o' clock at night with my pajamas on and I was reading the book Inkdeath. Personally, I have read the book more times then any sane person should. I was just getting to Chapter 18, A Dangerous Ally when all of a sudden the room seemed to melt from around me. I held Inkdeath close to my chest and stared around in pure shock. The blue walls of my room were replaced with stone and my bed was replaced with a dirt floor. As the new room materialized I noticed a wooden desk and a man staring over me. He was about thirty years old, chubby, and on his face was the look of superiority. At first I didn't believe my eyes, this was exactly how I imagined the character, Orpheus, to look. _Wait_ I thought _Is this Orpheus? Am I in a book? What happened to the laws of physics?!?! _ I just stood there like an idiot staring in shock at this odd place I had stumbled into.

The Orpheus like man's self-satisfied look turned sour. "What is this!" he yelled (looking back I was actually disappointed at the sound of Orpheus's voice. Reading the book made me think it was… well not like his was sounding right now. Sure it was soft even when he yelled and all but it wasn't how it was played up in the book to be) "The words were sounded so well" Orpheus continued ranting, "I specifically wrote that I needed a _professional_ on all that I needed to know about those white women! Not some teenage child." "HEY" I interrupted him not knowing at the time that the man in front of me was my used-to-be-ultimate-favorite-character. "Where am I? Who are you? What am I doing here?" continued yelling.

Orpheus looked at me with a bored expression and gave me a through look down. His eyes lingered on the copy of Inkdeath I was still clutching in my hands. "What book is that?" he inquired, completely ignoring my questions. "Hey! I'm a person too you know. Answer my questions." I yelled. "Person!" Orpheus scoffed "You are made of pen, ink, and my brilliant imagination!" After that sentence it finally clicked, I truly realized I was in the middle of the book Inkdeath. Orpheus, my favorite character, for reasons I do not remember at this moment, was standing in front of me. I just stared in shock.

Orpheus misinterpreted my reason for my shock and continued, "Yes, figuring out you are made from nothing but ink and paper can be a shock to some folk. But I assure you it's true" he handed me a piece of paper, "Read it and weep." He simply said a smug smile on his face. Angry I almost shoved Inkdeath in his self satisfied face and told him to read it and weep… but I thought better of it. Instead I kept my mouth shut. Smiling Orpheus continued "Well since we got your questions done with now it is time for my question. What do you know about beings known as White Women?"

At the word White Women my eyes all but bugged out. My favorite parts of the book were the parts that featured the White Women. After I read the book I surfed the internet for anything I could find about the white women from the Inkheart series. I knew everything that could be known about those beings… _Am I the "professional" on the White Women he mentioned earlier?_ I thought to my self on that dreary night.

After seeing my reaction to the word white women Orpheus sounded "I knew I was right! I knew I could create my own professional on the white women! Oh I knew it I knew it." He then called out the door behind me, "Farid! Get me a bottle of wine to celebrate!" He then looked at me, his face gravely serious, and "Tell me what you know about the white women."

After contemplating for a second I decided to rally off common knowledge about the white women and keep the juicy stuff to myself. I rattled off facts that I knew that Orpheus knew at this point in the book. By the time I finished Orpheus was red faced and extremely annoyed expression was plain on his face. "That's it?!?!?" he said his voice slightly elevated. "Yes" I simply said not meeting his eyes and nervously twisting my hands. Ok! I am an extremely bad liar! It isn't my fault!

Noticing my bad lying skills Orpheus nodded towards the door, "Fine, if you choose to keep information to yourself then I shall get Os to beat it out of you." He said simply, he paused letting his words sink in. The way he told me those words though extremely simple, sent a shiver down my spine. I decided to try tactics to change the subject.

"No, way Orpheus" I simply said. Hiding a surprised look he inquired, "Where did you hear my name." he glanced at Inkdeath I still held in my arms. I decided to play fan girl, "You are my absolutely favorite character in Inkheart!" I proclaimed. "I read the book over and over. I own my own copy at home, I'll show it to you if you want. All you have to do is bring me back home!" I knew it was a very stupid move, I knew it would not work either, at the time I guessed that it couldn't hurt… I was dreadfully wrong.

**A/N****- I hope you enjoyed my first chapter. I ask you to give me an opinion; did I get Orpheus's personality right? Was it believable? Please read and review.**


	2. Mistake

Mistake

Telling Orpheus what I knew was probably the most stupid thing I have done since getting stuck in these dreary dungeons. I still curse myself for those few words, it would have worked better just to spill my guts on the white women. But enough about now let me finish my story…

After playing fan girl Orpheus got red-faced and practically yelled (which made his voice even more unimpressive than it was built up in the book) "You do not speak to me like that. You do not disrespect me! I am your creator! See this piece of parchment," he said shoving the paper in my face, "I created you, and you know nothing about me."After Orpheus calmed down he inquired, looking down at Inkdeath, "What is that book about?" He spoke to me like I was a little girl, outraged I was about to come up with a sarcastic comeback when an Arabian boy came in with a bottle of liquor. It took me a few seconds to realize that this was Farid. The boy was about 5'8 and had a slightly depressed expression on his face. As he walked in he glanced at me and looked back to Orpheus expressing angrily, "How is she" he pointed to me, "going to help get Dustfinger back? You _promised_ that this," he referred me once again, "would help get him back, you said that it would be the key thing you will need to bring him from the white women. All you come up with was her!"

"I told you that it _might_ help. I told you that she _might_ be the key to getting Dustfinger back, I said nothing concrete." Orpheus said in an innocent voice. I did not really hear Orpheus's comeback, I was quivering with anger at that moment, _Hey, and I am standing right here! _I thought angrily and thought a few other words that described Farid's outraging words but I rated this fanfiction K so I won't mention them.

As the initial rage wore off I actually felt sorry for the Arab boy, I could really tell that he was desperate to get Dustfinger back. Orpheus spoke, interrupting my thoughts, "Now, let me continue," while pouring himself a generous portion of wine, "What is that book about?"

I decided to tell a story based on the front cover because I figured out at that moment the stupidity of the information I just gave away, "Well it is about," I glanced at the cover, _Lets see, Skull, Unicorn, Castle, Oh_ "A disease in the land of… Inkdeath and bob has to find the rare unicorn horn to cure the people." I saw Orpheus's expression change into something like amusement, "Are you seriously think you can fool me with such a pathetic lie? Or would you like continue telling me stories of _Bob_ the unicorn hunter" I shrugged, "If you don't believe me fine, I never said it was a well written story."

"Give. Me. The. Book" Orpheus said, anger lingering in his voice, his hand was extended. Unable to give up the book I ground my foot into his rich shoes, Orpheus gave an agonized cry and I took my chance. In one swift movement I bolted for the door at the other end of the room. I barely got through the door frame when a huge man cut off my path. Without thinking, I took a sharp right turn down a hallway. I took the door at the end of the hall… Dead end.

I heard the body guard, Oss was his name, walking down the hall, cutting off my only exit. I had to think quickly, I had to hide the book. The first thing I saw was the fireplace. Without thinking it completely through I placed the book on one of the uneven bricks on the inside of the fire place. The fireplace was obviously not used often because by the time Oss came in with Orpheus behind him I surprisingly was not covered in soot. That right there is probably the luckiest break I had since being dumped in this world.

The second the two came through the door Orpheus ordered Oss to search the room. I was just standing there, in the middle of the room watching Oss search in all of the wrong places. Orpheus, red faced cried, "You little rat! You will pay for this, I will get Oss to teach you some manners down in the basement. Oss, forget the search, we will find it later, for now take this little witch to the basement and teach her some manners."

I looked up at the man, he was obviously uncomfortable with beating up a girl. But he obeyed Orpheus anyway and grabbed me. Fighting back was useless, he had me in an iron grip and I was towed down into a cellar and tied to a pole. Orpheus was standing in the door way, "Leave her here" he said, "I will think of something proper to use as punishment." Though he tried to hide it, as he was walking away he was limping, I must have really ticked him off. I stifled a snicker. As he closed the cellar door all the light in the room vanished. Leaving me in the dark.

**A/N**-** I want to ask again if I got the Inkheart characters right. I am asking this because in other Fanfiction stories when people don't stick to a certain character's personality it annoys me to no end. I really want to keep that from happening in this particular fanfiction.**


	3. Escape

**Escape**

**A/N****- Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up… No particular reason other than busyness. Well I hope you enjoy chapter 3.**

**~Whatsthenews**

_I have to get out of here_ I thought as I was waiting for Orpheus to come up for a proper punishment. _Ok _I thought to my self_ What did I do to get myself in this situation?_ The answer was simple: Me and my big mouth.

If I didn't open my loud mouth, if I didn't just give the stupid book to Orpheus… As I was thinking uselessly and now that I realize it, unproductively about every single if I did or didn't situation humanly imaginable, the cellar door opened slightly and a figure slipped through.

Since I could do nothing to defend myself for what is to come I yelled out at the figure hiding my fear, "I am not afraid of you. I…" A hand covered my mouth muting my words. As I squinted into the darkness I barely recognized the face of Farid. _What in the world?_ I screamed in my mind since Farid was preventing me from actually screaming.

When I calmed down and got my thoughts together and relaxed…slightly, Farid let go of my mouth and quietly said, "Don't scream, I am going to get you out of here… Under one condition." I was livid. _What is this?!? Let me out under one condition, ya right! Oh when I get my hands on that boy…_ I decided not to voice my thoughts because I then noticed that Farid had a knife in his hands, this instrument, I noted, could either be my savior or my demise. "What is your condition?" I said as calmly as I could manage trying to hide my outrage. "What I need…" Farid looked around checking that no one was listing. "Really, tell me what Orpheus is asking for, tell me about the white women so I can get Dustfinger back!"

I could feel the desperation in the boy's voice. Those words brought out sympathy for Farid. I was about to tell Farid everything I knew on the white women in the story when all of a sudden both Farid and I heard a knock on the front door of the house. "Is Orpheus home?" the person at the door said. Farid, obviously recognizing the voice seemed to completely forget about me, being tied to a pole in the middle of a cellar. I could only hear Os leading the new guest up to Orpheus's room.

I could not hear anything for a long while and I started to go back into my rut of self pity when, out of the blue I heard Farid call out to the visitor, "Please, Resa, be reasonable!" Frankly I was extremely surprised by the identity of the mystery guest. I thought for a while, locating exactly in the story where I was… I then realized that this was the chapter where Resa begs Orpheus to write her family back to the real world before something bad happens to Mo. _Wait_ I thought, _Something is wrong with the story_. There was, I did not figure it out then but now I know that I had already changed little parts of the story already.

I now know that, either because of me or some other factor, no unicorn was ever read into this Inkworld by Orpheus as it was done in Inkdeath. I noticed something was wrong then because at this point of the story Orpheus would be drinking over having crated a unicorn not in a worried busy manner (with a bruised leg!) wondering how he would make me pay for not giving him what he wanted. As I was spacing out, wondering what went wrong I heard the door close and Resa was gone.

Soon, the door creaked open again and Farid slipped through a narrow crack and came up to me. "I no longer need your information." He whispered to me. _Oh dear! _I thought_ Will he still free me even if he no longer needs me and my information_? Farid then continued, "I will still help you though." I breathed a sigh of relief, Orpheus will not get his hands on me. "But" Farid started to speak again, " I need to know one other thing, where did you hide that book?" I started freaking out, I mused weather I should tell him or not, after a few seconds I made my decision, "I will tell you where it is." I began, "but you can't let Orpheus get a hold of it on ANY costs. Do you understand?"

The Arab boy nodded and said, "I wasn't planning on it. I was going to keep it close to me at all times. Trust me, I know that no good can come from Orpheus and that book." I then said with much difficulty, "Ok, I trust you, I'll tell you where I hid it. If you set me free first." Farid's face settled into deep thought. I assured him that I would not run away and pointed out that I could not get out of the cellar if he did not help me. Farid, without speaking, cut the ropes around my wrists and feet loose and, being the coordinated girl that I am, I fell to the ground with a huge thud.

"Tell me were the book is." Farid demanded. I then whispered the location of the book to Farid and he then led me out of the house. He told me to wait just outside the property while he goes and gets the book. I thought I was in the clear, that everything was going to be alright… Well that was until I met the drunken solders of Ombra.


	4. Captured Again

**A/N****- Sorry this chapter took forever. Just never got to it… Well here is Chapter 4 of my story.**

**Captured Again**

I could say that when Farid came back with the book that I kept my cool and remained quiet as a mouse… but then I would be lying. The truth is that, the second the tall Arabic boy left me, I was scared out of my mind and almost screamed when Farid came to my hiding place. Farid was jumpy too because when I screamed, he screamed… I am guessing we caught the attention of all of Ombra by now, we waited for a few seconds, and no one came. The women must be used to bloodcurdling screams in the distance at night…Well that is a comforting thought.

I looked to the sky, it was sunset and it would be dark soon. Farid gave me (now that I think about it) quite broad directions on how to escape, and left as soon as possible. He was going to the robber's camp for some unknown reason after he hid Inkdeath under his cot which looked more like a heap of cotton than a cot.

Once he left I started to follow Farid's directions. Being me, not knowing west from east, got lost very quickly and before I knew what time it was, night fell. As I was walking aimlessly through the filthy streets, I had my first encounter with a solider from Ombra. The man was young, muscular, armed, and drunk. His first look was confusion when he saw me. I tried to see what he might have seen in me; a girl walking alone, at night in her PJ's that was decorated with numerous ice-cream cones. Why I hadn't thought of my appearance before hand? I was preoccupied with other matters than my looks.

"What is your business here?" the solider slurred. I remained quiet out of shock. "Your coming with me to the castle, it is unlawful to be on the streets at night" the young man said. _What in the world did he just say! Unlawful to be on the streets at night? What kind of place is this_ I thought. My own mind answered me. _Because this is Ombra_.

The solider dragged me through numerous streets, never making eye contact with me. We soon came up on a band of more soldiers. He then bound my hands and tied me to a post nearby. LIKE I WAS SOME KIND OF HORSE! This infuriated me and I struggled to get free with all my strength but, alas, I could not. All I achieved is to tighten the knots around my wrist So I decided to listen to what the solider was saying to the others about me.

"You're telling me that a girl, with magical markings on her clothing, was walking through the streets of Ombra at night?" said one man, "That's it! I am cutting you off" "She is real George! I have her bound over there" said the man who had captured. "If I come to see your imaginary person, will you quit bugging me?" George said to his mate. "Just come" said my captor. And soon I saw the two men. George was shocked that I actually existed and was speechless. "Told ya" was all my captor said. George regained his voice "Take her to the dungeon, and get rid of the witch at once"

That, my readers, is how I got stuck in the dungeons of Ombra castle. I have been in here for about a week already. Any ideas on how to escape? ... I thought not. I will have to get through this on my own.


	5. Dungeon

**A/N****- Hello Fanfiction World! Here is the one and only chapter five of my story**

Dungeon 

There is one notable fact about this particular cell. It is right under the throne room. Wanna know how I know? I HEAR EVERY WORD EVER SPOKEN EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY! I hear the Milksop, the Piper, Sootbird, the drunken soldiers, and I hear the very loud feasts that take place every day… Three times a day. Sorry, just needed to blow off some steam there. Otherwise this cell is dark, dreary, and I hear rats. I am surrounded by iron bars with the back side made of stone. The darkness is only broken by one single torch in front of my cell. I can only just see three cells down. The cells are just holes in the ground with bars around them. Whenever I imagine a prison cell I visualize a bench… no bench here, just dirt.

As I was pacing, I heard voices of the soldiers. It wasn't meal time… Was it? A very proud man came by and informed me that I had a visitor. A visitor? "So we meet again" came the gentle supercilious voice that could only belong to Orpheus. He continued, "It took me quite a while to find you, I thought I lost you for good there. But I got wind that a witch was captured and I just wanted to check." "And you are here because…?" I said. "Don't give me attitude! I have had a hectic day that you couldn't imagine!" Orpheus said in an irritated tone. "Let me guess. Mo has brought Dustfinger back from the dead, you lost your copy of Inkheart because of Farid and you still can't find Inkdeath."

"What?" Orpheus's voice went up two octaves. "So that hasn't happened yet…" I said to myself, secretly slapping myself for being so stupid. Orpheus regained his composure, "I just got wind today that _**I**_ succeeded in bring Dustfinger to life and that that, that… Bluejay came back with him. And everybody thinks… Why am I telling you all of this?" "I don't know Signor Squeaky Voice" I replied (I couldn't resist making fun of the man) Orpheus turned beet red and looked like he was going to hit me but then he took a deep breath and said, "Big words for the girl behind the bars." "So you're here to free me" I said in a less than intrigued tone. "No" Orpheus said with a smile, "I am here to search you for that book you so cleverly hid from me, Guard! Search this cell for a certain purple book which she stole from me."

Suddenly two men came into my cell, one kept his knife pointed at me and the other went on searching the empty ten by ten space. The searching man went to Orpheus and told him that there was nothing in the cell. "Well than search the girl! She took it and hid it I swear!" Orpheus replied. Then the two men gave me an odd look, probably because I was accused of being a witch and searched my clothing. Still they came up with nothing and shut me back into my cell.

"I'll be back!" Orpheus swore, and then mumbled to himself about taking care of Farid so nothing will happen to his precious Inkheart. I can sum this up with one phrase; One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.

I am now here… back in my cell… In the dark…alone


	6. Children

A/N- Sorry this took so long, I have actually written this chapter about three times but my computer is malfunctioning and deleting my work. Anyway, here is the chapter. FINALLY.

**Children**

Did you know that people get fleas? I used to think that only dogs got them. I was wrong. You learn that kind of thing when you are stuck in an unsanitary dungeon for a little over a week. In all honesty, I would have gone insane by now if it weren't for the annoying blabbing going on in the throne room.

From eavesdropping from the throne room I found out that the Piper arrived at Ombra castle shortly after Orpheus visited me. You will never mistake that voice for anyone else's. When I first heard it all I could think of was Bugs Bunny. It must be a result of that "my nose was cut off" thing. I haven't seen him because he doesn't visit the prison cells and I am not walking about the castle. Actually, the only people I have seen since Orpheus left is just the soldiers who visit me twice a day to give me table scraps. I don't even know why they even feed me.

As I was just sitting on the ground waiting for something interesting to go on in the throne room, there was a huge commotion at the entrance to the prison. I pressed myself against the iron, sorry _rusty_ iron bars to see the most depressing sight I have ever laid my eyes on.

About two hundred kids were being hoarded into the jail cells; they were so overcrowded that some children had to share a cell with me. These kids were as young as five years old and as old as twelve. Half of them were crying and the other half where trying to comfort the crying half. There was a small boy, no more than seven who was trying to comfort his little sister. Bewildered, I went up to him and asked, "What in the world happened here?" I knew the answer to my question before the boy answered; Inkdeath was running its course. "We came to see a fire show," the boy began "and as we were watching we were taken away as ransom for the Bluejay."

Then the boy examined me, I could guess what he was seeing in me. I still had my pajamas on from when I first came here over a week ago, my hair was a rat's nest, and I haven't bathed since I got to Ombra. I tried to ease the tension, "What's your name?" I asked. "My name is Ivo, and this is my sister, Despina." Ivo answered. I had read Inkdeath too many times not to know those names, but my big mouth has gotten me into too much trouble already. I turned my attention to Despina, "Hey, girl" I said in the most uplifting tone I could manage, "you are so lucky you have such a noble brother to take care of you" Despina, wiped her eyes, looked up at her brother and said, "I know miss"

I turned my attention to the other children in my cell, but it seemed as if I didn't need to because they were all staring at me. One child, probably the youngest in the cell asked, "What are you doing here miss?" I smiled to myself; the older children probably got the child to ask the question because they were too shy. I decided to tell them the truth; "I honestly do not know" I answered "I guess I was out too late and my clothes were too conspicuous and I was sent here."

"You're not from around here are you?" that was Ivo. "No, no I am not" I replied. I soon made it my mission to keep these kids as happy as possible. It was difficult; when they asked me to sing to them… I tried. Let's just say I do not sing like their mothers did. I tried to play little hand games with them, but nothing could distract them from the fact that they were prisoners in Ombra castle. The main topic of conversation was the Bluejay. It was interesting hearing their stories. Ivo and Despina told the best versions, probably because they lived with Fenoglio. When they were injured, I tried my best to clean the wounds, but only when the Barn Owl came down, where they ever really cleaned. It was the most interesting and depressing five days I have spent in this prison.

On the fifth day the guards opened the gates to let the children free. The Bluejay has come for them, they whispered to each other. They were going to see their mothers again! As I was trying to walk out with them one of the soldiers stopped me in my tracks. "You are not one of the children permitted to go; you stay here". Those words made me red with anger, but spending a seemingly endless two weeks in a jail cell really teaches you to hold your tongue. "Alright" I replied. As I said those words I swore to myself I was getting out of here one way or another, and I was going to make it out alive.


	7. Bluejay

Bluejay

It took about an hour for all the children to get out. I waited, seething with uncontrollable anger for another hour. The anger soon turned to tears. As I was just about crying my eyes out there was some commotion at the entrance to the dungeon. I saw the Bluejay trailed by two men. Both by the way were no older than me.

Bluejay/Silvertounge/Mo caught a glimpse of me from the corner of his eye. Suddenly he turned on the other soldiers protesting, "Why are there more children here? The deal was that I would give myself up when the captured children were returned to their mothers." One solider looked completely clueless, the other was ready for a fight. "Look here." he injected venom into every word he spoke, "She was here before the kids were captured; She is a witch; She stays"

Well I finally got my conviction, it took two weeks but finally I figured out why I was sent here. Without letting Mo spit out an answer he shoved him into the cell next to mine. The two guards left me alone with the Bluejay or Mo, Silvertounge? This guy really needed a nametag.

"Sooooo" I said, "you're the Bluejay… cool" My attempts of striking up conversation were very weak but Mo still answered, "Yes, I guess I am" The conversation did not continue much longer for two reasons

1) The conversation was pathetic

2) A fairy flew into the dungeon

I knew why the fairy had come and what it was going to say; this is exactly how it happened in Inkdeath but seeing a fairy was super cool. You think after staying two weeks in Ombra you would see at least one fairy. Not the case. The rainbow colored creature landed on the Bluejay's shoulder and whispered. I knew what it was going to say and who sent it but I asked anyway, "What did it tell you?" Before Mo could reply, spiders made out of fire came down the walls of the dungeon. These fire spiders, though some looked like beadles all were headed in one direction.

The fairy distracted my attention from the entrance to the prison. The spiders were all headed towards a man who looked like a court jester, and then I saw his silver nose. Though the Piper was dressed like a clown, he looked very, very scary. And then he spoke. I had heard the Bugs Bunny like voice but hearing it from such a tough macho looking guy (in a clown suit) made him comical. "Get something to put those spiders out!"

I couldn't help it, I chuckled. Note to self: Don't laugh at the Piper. He obviously heard me and gave me a death stare. If looks could kill, I would have died then and there. But soon he turned his attention to his newest captive. "So Bluejay" he began. I had to turn away so he could not see my smile. I had imagined his voice so differently. I had the figure almost correct but the voice I always imagined was a bit more… macho.

"You are now our guest at Ombra Castle" Bugs Bunny continued (what? I can make fun of him in my mind, can't I) "I came to visit you to see how you are holding up" he followed his words with a slap to Mo's face. Ouch! "Your fire dancing friend is getting so bold with these meaningless fire bugs he has around the castle" This time he kicked Mo in the shin. I played soccer without shin guards on before, I knew that hurt. He leaned in close to Mo's ear, but I could still hear what he had to say "You will not make a fool out of me again. But I feel kind today; I will go easy on you." He then punched Mo in the stomach he doubled over. I couldn't take it anymore. "Stop" I shouted at him. "Aww" he said to me in his annoying little voice, "Did you not like me beating up you people's idol? Well then I will have to put on a special show, just for you" he then made a fake punch at Mo's face. I flinched.

"Aww she does like you" he said, this time to the Bluejay, "Well, let's give your biggest fan a little show of the courage of the mighty Bluejay" he then hit Mo again, this time taking him to the ground. When Mo got up I could see blood on his face. It was too terrible to watch. I turned away.

After a few punches that and the Piper seemed to get bored with the reaction and ordered the guards to bind the Bluejay's hands with rope. The Piper's voice didn't seem comical to me anymore, it now scared me.

After Mo's hands were good and bound the Piper and soldiers left us alone. The second the Piper was out of sight I leaned against the iron bars and said "Are you ok?" my voice was quiet and saturated with guilt. The Bluejay stood up (or as much as he could before his head touched the low 6 foot ceiling.) and gave me a weak smile and said, "I have been better I admit, but don't take this on yourself. None of this was your fault; it was going to happen anyway."

Silvertounge looked down and tried to change the subject, "The fairy message informed me that the Adderhead was going to arrive in Ombra in five days." I nodded; I knew that; just like it was in Inkdeath. It's weird knowing what is going to happen before it happens. The conversation ended there, neither of us were keen on talking at the moment and I spent another fitful sleep in the Dungeon of Ombra Castle.


	8. Loud Words, Blown Secrets, And Purple Bo

**Loud Words, Blown Secrets, and Purple Books**

It is pretty sweet to see story characters that you have only read about walking about being… real people. The Bluejay would probably know what that feels like but I wasn't going to bring up that topic. What was I going to say, 'Well Mr. Folchart you are a character in a book, not like you think though. We are in the middle of the third book of the Inkheart trilogy. So ya just take that in for a second and we can talk about it later' No way Jose was that ever going to happen.

It was about noon when my already messed up life in Ombra just got a little more… messed up. Orpheus walked into the dungeon without the usual soldiers that followed everyone else into the prisons; no Orpheus had his favorite (and only) bodyguard Oss. He stopped by my jail cell and looked onto Mo's next door. "So convenient!" Orpheus mused, "I have cut my time in the wretched place in half."

"What do you want, Orpheus?" Mo and I said simultaneously. The Bluejay gave me a surprised look while I kept my eyes on the flabby man in front of us. "I have found the book that you have hidden from me." He said with a triumphant smile on his lips. I took a guess, he wasn't talking about Inkheart.

Mo studied Orpheus and said "I do not believe that you came all the way down here to gloat. Get to the point." At that second Mo's voice sounded very threatening. Note to self: Don't get on Mo's bad side. Orpheus shrugged in a gesture that made him look almost innocent, this guy should go into acting, "Oh, I am not talking about that dreary Inkheart no; I have found a book that is much more informing. All thanks to your little friend here."

I was seething with anger and replied, "Hey, Mr. Loud, Proud, and Ugly, that book doesn't belong to you and I suggest you give it back or… or." It was an empty threat, I knew it. Anger makes you say stupid things and so far stupid words have been my specialty.

Orpheus laughed at my attempt at a threat. "Look at you! You are locked up in Ombra castle and still trying to call the shots!" "I hear you know something about being locked up Orpheus" I said, pointing out the shameful period of his life which is mentioned throughout the last two books of the trilogy.

I had obviously taken Orpheus by surprise because he was very quiet; I took the opportunity and continued, "Look here, Orpheus. Don't believe that because you can now wear fancy clothing and back up your pathetic lies to the public that you are any better than you were before. A no good, overeating, selfis-"

Mo cut me off before I could finish my insults, "I do not know who you are or why you are here" he said to me, and then turned to Orpheus, "but, what I do know is that you should stop picking on little girls Orpheus." His tone was menacing, so far I haven't heard it that threatening, not even when he faced the Piper.

Orpheus smiled and turned to me, "So you haven't told him about this" he held up the purple hardcover copy of Inkdeath which I owned. I rubbed my eyes hoping that this was all a trick, a dream, anything but what is happening right now. Orpheus was my favorite character in the book, but I didn't want him to make this story close with an unhappy ending.

Orpheus continued, "Mortimer, it seems as what I have in my hand is the sequel to Inkheart." Mo stood alarmingly calm; I wanted to avoid this event. I just knew how awkward it would be if I just told him outright that he was a storybook character. But now that moment is inevitable. Before Orpheus could speak again I decided to speak, "I repeat, what do you want Orpheus?" I did not believe that he just come here to brag that he found the book that I, or Farid, hid from him. "Why does everybody believe I am after something?" he replied in an o to innocent voice. I repeated, "I don't believe you, what do you want?"

"I just wanted to ask you and your prison cell mate a question, who are you little miss in the ice-cream pajamas?" I decided to lie, it couldn't hurt could it, "My name is Cornelia Funke." I hoped that Orpheus hasn't read the About the Author section. I doubt he would believe that I graduated from the Hamburg College of Design and has my own house in California… I am 15; I look younger than my age. I don't speak German either. All of a sudden this seemed like a bad idea. But it was too late, I just have to keep up the fib.

Orpheus did a double take. On the front of the book was the author's name in gold letters. "Cornelia Funke" he muttered to himself. He then looked me over and said, "I don't believe you." I shrugged and replied as smoothly as possible, "You don't have to believe me, but it's the truth." Wow, I was better at lying than I thought… that is a bit unsettling.

The Bluejay interjected, "I am lost" he said simply. I had actually forgotten about the hero of the book who was sitting next to me. Orpheus regained his smile, "Well, haven't you guessed. This little girl brought the book where our story is written, he opened the book and read, 'She looked at him, wide-eyed, with the same mixture of awe and fear he and now seen in so many faces, The Bluejay. The girls ran back to her mother, and Mo straightened up. Whenever his chest hurt where Mortola had wounded him, he felt as if the Bluejay- the robber whom Fenoglio had given Mo's face and voice- had slipped in there to join him.'" Orpheus ruffled through a few more pages, relishing in Mo's surprise. I felt ashamed, I wanted to yell at him to stop but somehow I had lost all power of speech while the man read. It was like some sort of strange hypnotism, it felt weird to seemingly not have control over your body when a man read.

Randomly pointing to a part of a random page Orpheus, having way to much fun with himself started reading again, "Orpheus knew what state his own heart was in, and he feared only that those inflamed eyes might also uncover what he hid even from himself: his envy…" Orpheus noticed that he was reading out his deepest darkest secret fell silent quickly.

I completed the sentence, "his envy of the innocence of others, his longing for an unblemished heart." Oh dear, have I really read the book so many times now that I can quote it? Mama Mia!

Orpheus turned scarlet and I continued, (when was I ever going to learn to keep my mouth shut) "Orpheus, you are messing with the wrong girl. Just turn around and leave before you embarrass yourself again"

Orpheus quickly recovered and replied, "Big words for the girl behind bars." I shrugged, "Please, you're a jailbird. Probably more so than I am."

Orpheus was quick to reply, "Just be careful what you say. I now have a book, even longer than Inkheart was. I can write whatever I want about you, and on top of that I know the ending to the story now. And there is nothing you can do about it." Before I could come up with a witty and sarcastic comeback Orpheus turned to his bodyguard. I had forgotten he was even there! And said, "Oss let's go we have work to do" with those words Orpheus left and the dungeon was quiet.

Mo was silent for a long time, probably in shock. I decided not to bother him, but after a while he asked, "Are you really the author?"

"No" I replied. He then nodded and then he was silent as the grave again.


	9. Violante

**A/N- Hello Fanfiction World… Here is chapter nine**

**Violante**

The next few hours of my life can only be described with one word, Awkward. Mo was completely silent, deep in thought or shock. A few time I tried to start up a conversation; you know, to get his mind off of the onslaught of information that had just been dumped on his already overburdened shoulders. But all the Bluejay would do is acknowledge me with a nod, and then get lost in thought once again. Even when the Piper came to beat the Bluejay into pulp, Mo continued to stay increasingly silent. The Piper mocked him for his silence, taking it as a sign of weakness. "It seems the Bluejay is breathless with fear when he is trapped in a cage." But on the upper side, the Piper was covered; head to toe, in soot… Good ole Cornelia Funke.

To be completely honest, his silence scared me more than if he started screaming questions at me that I could not answer. The next morning Mo finally spoke, more to himself than me… but he spoke, "The Adderhead is coming in three days." I saw this as mental improvement, or a sign that his is going to be ok. Either way, I was relieved to hear him speak.

Then it hit me, three days. Memories from Inkdeath flooded back to me. In three days the Adderhead will come! If Inkdeath is still following its original path, then Mo will be free… After the Piper threatens him with a metal rod, attempting to break his legs. Violante will get him out of here… and then what? What will Orpheus do? My sense of sweet revelation became bitter. There was one thing I had to do, I had to tell Mo.

This wasn't going to be easy. "Bluejay?" I inquired. Mo looked at me and then down at his feet and answered, "Please, call me Mo." I took the opportunity to answer, "Well, Mo," I faltered (it was always weird for me to call adults by their first names). I suddenly was at a loss for words. What was I going to say? Would I send him into anther mini shock? I have to tell him, don't I? I decided to ease into the subject before completely freaking out.

"So," I started "How's life?" I know the remark was stupid, but it was the only generic question I could come up with. Mo still answered despite the stupidity of the question, "Complicated, very, very complicated…" he trailed off into his thoughts again. Oh no, he will NOT go back into his silent shock. So I persisted. "That fairy that came in here was truly beautiful." Mo answered, "The blue ones are better in my perspective." His voice sounded as if it were far away. I tried to keep up a nonchalant conversation that would not remind him of the fact that he is in a story within a story. I will give my readers one tip, It ain't easy.

I shall not bore you with the rest of my attempts at a conversation, but after about an hour of awkwardness, Mo/Bluejay/Silvertounge/Seriously depressed and confused guy finally said, "Listen, I know what you are trying to do. I am fine. I just needed some time to absorb the information that was dumped on me…" I got angry at the man, A LITTLE TIME, dude, you were in a depressed coma for an ENTIRE DAY. He had me scared to death; I thought he was in shock! I thought that… I finally calmed down and relied how stupid my anger was. I blamed the lack of fresh air.

I decided then to drop my bomb then, "Well on the b…" I cut myself off. I tried to find better words. Ya I know your future. Well on the bright side you are being freed today! All of my words tended to sound… awkward or unemotional. I do not like awkwardness, though I am often caught in the middle of it.

Just get it over with I blurted out, "Violante is going to free you today right before the Piper tries to break your legs tonight… or now" Smooth… Mo just gave me a weird and slightly disturbed glance. "Run that by me again?" he said. I gulped, I chose my words more carefully this time, "Violante will free you from this prison today. I am sure. But soon the Piper will come just before and try to break your legs because he has had it being a laughing stock." I waited for his response. And Waited. And Waited. Finally he said, "Are you sure?" Before I could answer he said, "Of course you are sure, the book worlds thing is still to big to wrap my head around."

I responded, "Should I just summarize the story… I mean, Orpheus already knows… It kinda sucks when the bad guy knows the supposed next move." The Bluejay was quiet, not depressingly as before, but contemplating. "I suppose I have to know now" he said gingerly. I proceeded to telling Mo Folchart a summary of Inkdeath.

As I was getting to the end of my summary two solders came in. I could describe them with three words: Angry, Blood Thirsty, and Sooty. The book played out in my head, I was glad that I told Silvertounge. I mouthed their words, "The Piper's going to be visiting you in another cell today." They continued, "One that your friend's fire can't find." The second solder saw me mouthing his words. "Oh," he began, "This little lass thinks we are predictable." I was stunned into silence. "Oh," (why did the man start all of his sentences with oh?) "I think the Bluejay's little fan should watch the show. I believe that would be best." As the first solder bound Mo, the second opened my cell and bound me as well. My shock wore off and I started struggling from his grasp.

My struggling was only making him angry. I was pulled close enough to smell the cheap wine on his breath. I was forced to follow Mo deep into the dungeons, and finally came to a huge cell. This one was bigger than the last but stained with blood. The Piper was standing in the corner, a huge metal rod in his hands. "Oh, look what we have here!" he said with mock surprise. He turned to his companions, "We even have a special guest to watch." The Piper leaned close to me and pinched my cheek, "You might even get to partake little girl." His mocking tone frightened, but I gathered my courage and replied, "We'll see about that" Big Mistake!

He turned to Mo, "You see Bluejay! You see what your little antics have done! Nobody respects my authority!" His voice became menacing, "You will pay for making me a fool." He raised his metal rod to beat him. Where was Violante? I had to buy some time. "STOP" I shouted. The Piper lowered his rod and turned to me, "It looks like you need a lesson in manners as well." Then that #$% slapped me across the face so hard that blood started trailing down my face. OUCH!!!

At that moment a light shown down the hall way. I began to make the face of a noble woman with a birthmark on her face next to a bunch of armed solders. "What are you doing?" called Violante. The Piper, slightly shocked at seeing the princess quickly replied, "Just making sure that the Bluejay and his fan girl learn their manners." Violante gave a silent orders to her solders and they started binding the Piper and his men. She then said, "It seems it slipped you mind that my father wants the Bluejay ALIVE. Since you have shown you are unable to keep our prisoner in one piece I will be forced to move him." The Piper snarled "I knew you were in league with that robber. Don't even bother trying to hide him. I will find you!" Violante gave the Piper a dark look, "I do not intend to hide him. I am taking him to my mother's castle. I assure you will find me there with the Bluejay… Intact."

Struggling in his bonds, "You vile snake, you will not get away with this!" But Violante and the Bluejay were already too far to hear him. While I stayed forgotten in the dungeon. With an angry Piper and gang… *Gulp*


	10. Dark, Gloomy, and Bloody

**A/N****- I have acknowledged that I have been taking a long time to update. Summer is coming soon and I will make an effort to keep updating and not… procrastinating.**

** ~Whatsthenews**

**Dark, Gloomy, and Bloody**

I sat, wondering in amazement of what I had done since I had gotten into the Inkworld. First, I had a verbal argument with Orpheus (and won). I made escape plans with Farid. About an hour after that escape I get arrested for being a witch, (aka just being alive). I meet the children of Ombra, Ivo and Despina only being two. Then I meet the main character of the trilogy, Mo/Bluejay/Silvertounge. Now I am in the deepest, bloodiest, and darkest corner of the dungeons with the Piper and his men in bounds next to us.

The Piper screamed at me breaking my train of thought, "Untie me you wench! Or I will have you hung from the gallows." I was too scared to say something witty such as 'you forgot to say please' because, honestly, I believed his threats. But I did not move an inch to help him and his men. My face still hurt from when he slapped me, the blood was dried on my face. No man does that to me and gets away with it. At that moment my fear became anger.

I was about to kick the man's face when I stopped myself. I will not sink to his level. I just sat there fuming, not knowing what to do next and listened to the Piper in his extremely bugs bunny like voice. "I swear on my mother's life that if you don't untie me this instant I will personally make sure that your death will be slow and painful." I just sat in my spot, anger keeping me from untying him but fear keeping me from doing something stupid.

Hours passed, the Piper kept making up new things for him to do to me once the patrol finds him and frees him. And that morning his prediction came true when torchlight made its way to our cell. The solders stood stunned for a moment when they saw their master dog-tied in the jail cell. The Piper screamed at the two, "Free us you fools! Or you both will be hanging from the gallows by tomorrow morning!" The solders, fear showing on their faces, opened the cell. One went to untie his master while the other stayed near the door, making sure I wouldn't run away. Where I would run to would be a complete mystery.

When they finally unbound the Piper the first thing he did was give me a big fat kick to the stomach which blew the wind out of me. The Piper stared at me with contempt, "I will see you tonight for your punishment" His fine clothes were covered in mud and his false nose was turned sideways. That was just wrong. Then he turned to his men, "Violante took the Bluejay to the Castle on the Lake! You two get on your horses and inform the Adderhead before he arrives."

Everybody left except for the Piper who hit me, closed fist, across the face as a farewell. When the Piper left, fear overrode my anger once again. I thought about all the terrible things the Piper promised to do once night fell. And the worst part is that I did not even know what time of day it is! I stared hyperventilating.

I was still in a frenzy when a torchlight shone in the distance a few hours later. My heart was racing in my chest. But as figure came closer, it was obvious that the man or woman was too short to be the Piper. Probably one of his solders that were as old as me. As the figure, a man, came closer I noticed he was particularly furry. As I made out the face I knew who it was even though I had never seen him before. Tullio! The furry faced page was exactly as I imagined him…. Just with a little more hair than expected. When he finally saw me he took a deep breath, as if he rehearsed his words a million times before he came here.

"The Bluejay refuses to leave you here and almost came here himself. He said that you were going to be important in his… mission." He cleared his throat. When I did not make any remark he continued, "Violante sent me here to… pick you up to journey with us." Relief flowed through me. Tullio continued, "I brought you a maid's outfit so you will blend in. Violante's orders" I stared down at my pajamas, now in tatters and said, "Thank you"

Tullio gave me the outfit, which I half expected to be one of those black and white frilly maid suits but in actuality was a very simple dress. Then he turned around so I could dress. At least he was a gentleman.

When I was finally dressed he looked me over making sure I would blend in… apparently I did not look as if I would blend in. Gave a sigh and opened my cell. Tullio led me through a number of passages, most of which I would not have seen until I was practically going through them. As I walked through the ever winding passages we finally came to a small door. I almost cried as I saw the sunshine leak through it. I was crying from both relief and pain as the sunlight burned my pupils.

Tullio gave me a nervous look and requested that I hurry. The tunnel came from the side of the castle where the forest was thick and dense. I took in every sight, sound, and smell as I hurried with the furry man.

It took us two days to catch up to the camp where Violante, Mo, and others were staying for that night. The two days were quite dull. Tullio did not talk to me and I did not speak to him. We slept and ate little. But it seemed to be the best day of my life. I forgot about Orpheus, the dungeon, and even the fact I was in a totally different world. I was free and my bad luck in the Inkworld had transformed into good luck.


	11. Eclipse

**A/N-**** Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. My computer kept crashing… but now I have a new one! Yay Me! I re read the last few sentences of the previous chapter. I was tired and wanted to get that chapter over with. Here is what I meant to say:**

** My bad luck had changed to good luck.**

**~Whatsthenews**

Eclipse

Dawn was just around the corner when Tullio and I found Violante and the others. When Tullio found the camp he immediately ran towards his mistress and they proceeded to speak in hushed tones. I, on the other hand, was left standing awkwardly at the edges of the camp while the others went on with their lives. As I stood there Mo waved me over to where he was sitting. Of course, he was smack dab in the middle of the camp so I had to climb over Violante's men (Did I call them men? I meant to say boys of fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen.)

When I finally made it to Mo's side he gave me a friendly smile, which I returned. But before either of us could get a word out Violante interrupted, "Bluejay, we must set off. We have wasted enough time waiting for your guest." When she finished her announcement I wondered how in the world was I going to ride a horse by myself. The only time I had ever ridden an animal was the time when I rode a pony at my friend's birthday party. After studying the saddles I realized that you were supposed to ride these horses in the English fashion. Meaning that I would ride with two legs dangling from one side instead of sitting with both legs on opposite sides of the horse.

Mo, seeming to read my mind, informed me that I could ride with him. I gave him a look of such relief that he started snickering. Seconds later my face turned red and Mo just patted my back and informed me that I shouldn't worry. He hoisted himself onto the English saddle and I climbed on behind him. After a few unsuccessful attempts at steadying myself on the horse I found my center of balance and we were off.

Mo, being the esteemed Bluejay, was riding next to Violante, which meant I was riding next to Violante. The princess of Ombra gave me a searching look as if she were looking for why the Bluejay wanted me to join them on their journey to kill her father. I met her gaze with a shy smile. She then quickly glanced in the opposite direction. At this angle I could clearly see her birthmark. The skin on her cheek was just a few shades darker than the rest of her skin. Her Ugliness would not have been the title that I would have given her.

As we were riding, a figure stepped from the trees lining the road. Everybody's attention was on the mysterious man. When he stepped into the light the solders whispered, "fire dancer" to one another and pointed at Dustfinger. He walked over to Mo's side and gave me a glance as to ask, 'Is this who I think it is?' Mo replied by nodding. Not a word passed between the two but an entire conversation took place. Violante interrupted the silent conversation, "We must plan before we get to my mother's castle."

Hours rolled by and nobody paid attention to me. Then Violante turned to me and asked, "How much does the girl know?" Mo gave the short and sweet answer of; "Everything." To that Violante gave me another curious glance. I avoided her glance by taking a sudden interest to the sky.

As I was intensely studying the sun, to my surprise, I found the moon. I guessed that it was about ten or eleven 'O' clock in the morning. I had seen this phenomenon before, but not so late into the day. Hours rolled by with Mo and Violante speaking in hushed tones. I could have easily eavesdropped, but my attention was locked on how the moon seemed to be getting closer and closer to the sun.

While I was studying the moon I caught the attention of some of the solders walking behind me. Time rolled by and one of the slower solders exclaimed, " Look the moon is out!" This exclamation was met with various faces, which all silently proclaimed "duh" to the embarrassment of the slow solder.

This caught the attention of Violante and Mo who had been too busy talking to notice the sky. By the time they looked up the moon was almost to the point of overlapping the sun. I was about to witness my first eclipse. (**A/N- I don't know whether it is a lunar or solar eclipse. It was the kind where the moon overlaps the sun.**) Day almost instantly turned to night as the sun started to disappear behind the moon. Just before the sun totally disappeared, a shadow was cast on the moon. The image that formed from the shadow made almost everyone gasp in horror. The shadow formed a snake, ready to strike. The Adderhead's coat of arms.

"Orpheus" both Mo and I said at the same time. Violante gave us a look of confusion but her face showed nothing of the fear that I felt. Violante asked only one question, "Is this why you brought this girl?"


	12. Arrival

Arrival

The day turned into night and the serpent still shown on the moon. We traveled though the night to get to our destination. Few words were spoken and everybody, including me, was constantly stealing nervous glances at the Adderhead's symbol above us. I couldn't tell it was morning until I stole another glance at the moon to see the sun's cornea peaking from behind the dark mass. The day only brought slightly more light than night. Passages from Indeath kept emerging to the forefront of my mind.

"_I tailor things to your own wishes…I could make it night forever if you wish it."_

My head couldn't accept what my heart was telling me. He wouldn't… He couldn't… He did.

I took my mind off of Orpheus by putting my full attention towards the road ahead of us. Because of the fog rolling off the lake and the darkness of the day, the Castle on the Lake had appeared in our vision only when our horses were practically wading into the water.

Violante looked years younger as she looked onto the castle. At that moment I realized how young she was. My estimate landed at around nineteen and if Jacopo were seven… I decided I didn't want to know. "Bluejay, isn't it beautiful?" Violante inquired though she did not look at Mo as she spoke. I could tell by Mo's face that he did not agree. To me the abandoned towers and spooky walkway screamed 'haunted' but obviously that word did not cross Violante's mind by the way she was examining her mother's castle. "You see why I have brought you here, Bluejay?" I overheard Violante say, "It is impossible to storm this castle, and not even the giants could succeed in attacking my mother's castle!"

That comment reminded me of the secret passage which Orpheus and The Piper had used to enter the castle. "Do you mind if I check the perimeter of the lake?" I asked Violante. I immediately regretted my words as half of the solders looked at me as if I were crazy and Violante's face showed suspicion. "And why would that be?" Violante's glance was as cold as her words. If I were to convince the princess I could not show doubt. I looked at the Adderhead's daughter straight in the eye and replied, "I have a haunch and I have heard rumors." I knew my answer would not suffice but it was the best I could come up with. The true explanation would have attracted more, "you are insane" looks.

We both held our gaze until Mo came to my aid. "I trust her." He told Violante. "If you wish you can have some of your men accompany her, to make sure that she is not a spy for your father." That thought hadn't even crossed my mind, but to Violante it was probably the root of her suspicions. I broke our gaze by looking towards the solders seeing if any were willing to accompany me. As I turned towards the solders Violante had already picked who was coming with me to check the surrounding areas. "Anselmo. Joshua. Thomas. Accompany her."

As the three men, or should I say boys, stepped forward, I slid off of Mo's horse to greet the three. As soon as the last boy made his way through to the front Violante ordered the rest to march across the bridge leaving me alone with three guys (Three very cute sixteen and seventeen year old guys. ;-)

As I scanned the shore of the lake that it became very apparent where I was to start my search. One side was surrounded by a dense forest while the other side offered little to no cover with patches of seaweed covering the shoreline. I lead my small brigade of bodyguards towards the woods.

As I was intently searching, a blonde solder asked, "What exactly are you supposed to be looking for?" I decided to go for the absolute truth. "There is another entrance to the castle that I am sure that Violante doesn't know about. I can't tell you how I know, or exactly where it is. I can tell you that it is on the coast of the lake and the Adderhead knows about it." The three solders were so shocked by my forward answer it took a good thirty seconds before the solder with red hair and freckles covering his face finally spoke. "Tell us what to look for and we will help you search."

It was my turn to be surprised. These solder's trust in me was astounding. I was expecting this trip to be very hairy, but apparently I had misjudged their willingness to protect their mistress. "I believe that the entrance will be a mound of boulders sticking out from the ground, though I have never seen it before."

The four of us then silently searched the lake's shore. Several times a solder or I would find a jumble of rocks resembling an entrance, but they were false alarms. Many hours past and the solders and I were beginning to loose faith… and energy. The blonde solder soon found another potential secret passage. Our entire group did not move with much enthusiasm towards the series of boulders. The blonde solder, Thomas was his name, was first on the site. I knew from the way his eyes lit up at the sight of the boulders that this was the entrance to the passageway.

The entrance was on a hill overlooking the lake and the castle. Once I made my way towards the multiple boulders I could not see how this mound was different than any other mound.

I was about to ask Thomas how this could be the secret entrance I saw the proof with my own eyes. A coat of arms was etched into the rock. I assumed that it was the coat of arms of Violante's grandfather. The symbol was small and was place so that it could only be found if you were looking for it.

Now we needed to get inside. As the boys were fingering the stone, looking for a door, I was stomping on the ground trying to find a spot that was hollow. A voice came from the other side of the structure. "Thomas! Joshua! Help me move this boulder." At that all three of us hurried to where Anselmo was shouting. He was standing towards a partially moved boulder. His friends were quick to assist him in moving the boulder. Feeling left out I tried to help too. (Though I did not make much of an impact.)

With the boulder moved aside we could see a tunnel leading deep underground. We could not see more than a few feet in because the tunnel offered no light and the daylight (or should I say night light) was not strong enough to penetrate the inky darkness below. I glanced at the solder's faces. Anselmo and Thomas seemed fine with the fact that they were about to venture into the unknown. Joshua, on the other hand, looked as white as a sheet at the sight of the tunnel.

I looked at Joshua in the eye and said, "We need someone to go back towards the main entrance to the castle to warn Violante… just incase." I didn't finish my sentence but instead of relief from Joshua as I expected I found defiance in his eyes. "I will not leave you all like a coward. I will stay with my fellow men in uniform."

Boys and their pride… I made the most serious face I could and replied to all three boys, "One of you needs to go back through the main entrance, one of us needs to warn Violante and the Bluejay as fast as we can. I do not know how long this passage will take. We are the only ones who know about this deadly weakness, if something happens down there, someone needs to get to the castle. We can not put all of our eggs in one basket as the saying goes."

Encouraged, Joshua nodded to me and set off towards the bridge. Now it was time to descend into the pitch-black tunnel. This is going to be interesting.


	13. A Warning

A Warning

The three of us, Anselmo, Thomas, and I, just stared into the endless sloping tunnel below. We all glanced at each other, wondering who would go first. The endless darkness below me was too similar to the dungeons. I kept reminding myself that it was stable enough for the Piper and his army to get into the castle in the book. I reminded myself that there is more at stake than fear of the dark.

I finally mustered all of my courage, closed my eyes, and took one step into the tunnel. Immediately both of the solders put their hands on each of my shoulders. Thomas, eyeing my confused expression, explained. "We are your protectors miss. We will lead the way."

Protectors? Ya right! They were sent to watch me. The two should be straightforward and say that they are embarrassed that a girl was going to lead them through the scary tunnel. (Though I was also relieved that their prides got in the way.) Boys will be boys.

Anselmo was the first in our line of three, I followed him and Thomas filed in behind me. I had the fleeting thought that we should move the boulder back into place, but I was already claustrophobic enough. I don't think that either of us would have been able to stomach it. A few yards in the tunnel steepened dramatically. By that time I could not see anything. The three of us were surrounded by darkness. The lack of light did not help my case of claustrophobia. We often bumped into each other as the tunnel became narrower. The walls were oozing mud and soon all of our shoes were filled with mud. Wherever mud wasn't present, cobwebs were. Poor Anselmo was covered in thin webs from head to toe after a few minutes. It was eerily silent inside the tunnel.

I wanted to speak to the two solders on either side of me but what would I say? If I asked them about their homes or families the question would come right back at me, I would not be able to answer their questions. I guessed thirty minutes had passed when the tunnel rose dramatically upwards and small rays of light pierced the darkness. The light was no more than enough to see an unclear outline of Anselmo before me, but the light somewhat hurt my eyes. This sensation again reminded me of the dungeons below Ombra.

"Thomas, come here and help me push the door out." Whispered Anselmo. As though we were thieves breaking into a house. Both boys could easily reach the trap door but they could not get it to open. I could physically feel the fear and determination coming from the two solders. After what seemed like forever footsteps came toward us.

I could barely hear the solder whisper to us. He said, "Not yet, too many witnesses." I looked over to Thomas and Anselmo and saw the same mixture of surprise and confusion on their faces. It was impossible to tell in the virtually non existent light. Seconds of silence passed and the unknown solder spoke again, this time with more volume. "You are early. The Bluejay and Violante are in the towers preparing for the Adderhead's arrival."

This solder is a traitor. I wanted to think the best of Violante's men, but apparently she was misguided when it came to this particular one. Then the reality hit me, why was a traitor not mentioned in the book? I could only think of one explanation. One in which the Piper wished to cut all loose ends and kill off this traitor. The idea made me sick to my stomach. I crept closer to who I guessed was Thomas and whispered, "Can you tell who he is?" Thomas leaned over to me and whispered, "No." He then repeated the same question to Anselmo who answered the same way.

The traitor dared to speak to us again, "There was a girl and a few solders who went searching for this entrance. I do not know how the girl found out but they set off this morning. Have you taken care of them?" This was getting worse and worse. The three of us dared not to speak. "Piper?" the traitor said in a low voice.

I switched my attention back to the two boys, one emotion was written plainly on their faces. I could almost feel the hatred that was coming off these solders. They were Violante's solders. They hated the Piper with every fiber of their being. And now they had found a traitor. Who would most likely kill us if he knew we had found out his secret.

Without thinking the plan through I plugged my nose and let out my best evil bugs bunny voice, "Of course we have taken care of them!" My Piper imitation had too much Bugs and not enough evil, but the traitor seemed to buy it. Anselmo and Thomas were staring at me in total surprise. "What are you waiting for?" I said in my Piper voice, "Let us out!"

"Remember our deal." The traitor said. With those words there was a loud scraping sound, something heavy over pavement. "We have to capture him." I whispered to the two solders. They were ready. Thomas already had his sword out. Both looked nervous. I whispered, "We can't kill him. He might have important information." At my comment Thomas and Anselmo both looked a little relieved but they were not about to let this traitor go scoot free. The grinding sound stopped and the door was beginning to open.

As soon as the door was opened wide enough Thomas and Anselmo charged out trying to tackle the spy. I heard indistinguishable yelling and bodies hitting the ground. By the time I hoisted myself out the fight was over. Thomas had a short black haired solder against the wall while Anselmo had his knife pointed at the traitor's neck.

Violante's child solders were already swarming into the courtyard where the traitor was being held. Most were standing in shock at two of their fellow solders covered in mud and cobwebs were tackling another solder. "Stop this right now and begin to explain!" Violante's voice was menacing. The child solders cleared a pathway so Violante, the Bluejay, and The Fire Dancer could come through. Violante looked at Thomas and Anselmo who still had the mystery traitor pinned down and then turned her glance to me. "Explain." Violante's voice was cold and her eyes were like daggers. Somehow I wasn't afraid of her glare. I straightened my back and simply said, "We have a dangerous break in security and a traitor on our hands."

"Where does this tunnel lead?" she asked. "Outside on the shore of the lake." I simply answered. "You will need to explain this to me and the Bluejay alone. Follow me." Violate started walking towards one of the many entrances to the courtyard. "Bring the traitor as well." She suddenly stopped walking and said, "Man this entrance at all times. I do not want a soul to make its way into this castle unknown." Then she turned her attention to me, "Come." She simply told me.


	14. ch 14

**Convenient**

Walking through the Castle on the Lake was like walking through a dream. Every wall was decorated with a thrilling scene before me; unicorns and fairies of all different colors seemed to dance on the walls. Though the castle had a claustrophobic feeling to it. Even though everywhere I looked there were beautiful scenes of a nonexistent world, there were no windows and most of the pictures where shrouded in darkness only a torchlight that Anselmo was carrying.

Our small group broke off from the main hallway and into a dark winding stairway into the unknown. But soon enough a door could be seen in the dim torchlight. Anslemo who was in the front of our group pushed hard on the swollen wood of the door and had little success in opening it. He then turned to me and handed me the large torch and tried again. As he was struggling to open the door I was getting more uncomfortable by the second. The dark corridor was airless with now windows and the torch's heat wasn't doing anything to help. After a few failed attempts of opening the door Anslemo was roughly pushed aside by a guard I did not know. He cleared everybody from the doorway and made a well-placed kick to the swollen wood and the door immediately burst open into a mysterious room. "I loosened it," muttered Anslemo but he was immediately scolded with a glare by Violante.

Violante entered first followed by Mo, then Dustfinger, then me and the solders followed in last carrying the traitor. At a signal from Violante the solder who kicked the door slowly went over to the door and closed it tight. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light of the room what I saw scared me half to death. The walls here did not contain scenes of frolicking unicorns and careless fairies. This room contained scenes of death and destruction, fire and blood. The paintings were so lifelike that I found myself sweating and inching closer and closer to the small window on the opposite side of the circular room. The room was filled with the smell of salt water and the beach.

Violante seemed to be enjoying the view out the window and leisurely turned towards me. As I saw her eyes, I knew something was wrong. Her murderous glance sent shivers down my spine and I instantly straightened up. "There is something very…." Violante was pacing slightly as she thought of the correct word to use her word eerily even, "convenient about your arrival here." I tried to hide my absolute terror with little success. "It is very convenient that you were imprisoned in the cell right next to the Bluejay's, it was convenient that you got him to let you come along. Then you just happened to know that there was a tunnel that just happened to lead into the heart of my grandfathers castle." Violante was cut off by the traitor's voice, "She had nothing to do with this." He begged. Violante turned her death glare to him. He stiffened and said, "I swear this on my honor." Violante gave him a disgusted look and replied, "A traitor has no honor." The sad solder just hung his head.

Violante continued, "This _convince_ reeks of my father's spies meant to lull us into a false sense of security!" her last word made everyone in the crowded room jump. I decided to add my two cents, "This is ridiculous how would your father even predict your plans to fly to your grandfather's castle." My voice was just as steady as hers was. "My father has countless spies, and apparently I cannot even trust my own men." Violante curtly replied. The sun outside had almost set, casting an orange glow to the scary room filled with death. Mo stepped into the conversation, "Violante, I know this traitor in your ranks has shaken you but you cannot loose faith in all of your allies so suddenly because of it." Violante stared into Mo's eyes and was about to reply but stopped herself and said to the solders, "leave her and the traitor in this room until we can figure out what to do with them." She immediately turned toward her entourage and left with the others. Anslemo gave me a slightly friendly and slightly suspicious glance as he finally locked the door on us. Now I am a prisoner once again.


	15. Tratior

Traitors

I could see the sun setting through the one window that adorned my new prison. The setting sun cast an orange glow on the frightening pictures which were painted on every inch of the circular tower. The fading light made the pictures all the more sinister. I leaned out the window, looking for some means of escape, and found none. The window was unbarred but a fall from this height would easily kill a person. The stones were weathered and slightly eaten away by the humid air but no where near suitable to climb down. I tried the door in vain, the swollen wood would not give to my pushing.

I paced up and down the small room, trying to find some hope of escape. I half considered jumping out of the window and hoping that I hit water, but I decided that I would not be suicidal. My frantic erratic planning was interrupted by a voice. "I'm sorry" I turned towards the solider turned traitor; I had completely forgotten that we were in the same boat. The boy solider continued, "This wasn't meant to hurt anybody," I interrupted him mid sentence, "Well," I sarcastically replied, "letting the enemy into our midst won't hurt anybody."

The traitor flinched at every word, like some sort of hurt puppy. Serves him right, I thought. Still trying to defend himself he replied, "It isn't like that" I raised an eyebrow at the comment, he continued, "two weeks ago Four-eyes came to me and I…"

"Wait a second," I interrupted, "Are you telling me that it was Orpheus who got you to turn sides?" The gears were turning in my head. Any hope that Orpheus was an obnoxiously slow reader disappeared, and replaced by the apprehension that he had already put a plan in motion to keep ours from working.. Realizing that my question was rhetorical he remained silent (a skill which few obtain.)

I spoke, my voice distant as I tried to predict Orpheus's plan, "How did he get to you?" The solider spoke, "My sisters where going hungry and my mother was sick. With my father and brother dead, I am the only source of income in my family. My salary was not enough to send home. One day Four-eyes came to me with a proposition and a bag of coins. At first I refused him, knowing my allegiance lied with Violante. He warned me that he would curse my family if I did not agree. I called his bluff and he left with a threatening look in his eye."

He paused to take a deep breath, "Two days later my sisters, Margaret and Sarah, had huge boils on their faces along with high fevers. It was one of the most awful days of my life. I could only come to their aid in the morning and evening fore I needed to bring in money as well. Then Four-eyes came back and asked me how I was feeling about his proposition now. I agreed to betray Violante for the life of my family. I did not take any money from him, just and assurance that my family would never be harmed by him again. I feel awful about what I did, and I am half glad that I got caught. When my sisters magically recovered from their illness, I had no doubt in my mind that betraying Violante was necessary."

I took a moment to take in the situation. My first reaction was disgust at the low means of persuasion that Orpheus was partaking in. My second reaction was fear, fear of knowing how far this worthy adversary would go to get what he desired.

To keep up conversation I stated, "I never got your name." "Judas" he simply replied. That name stopped me in my mental tracks and sent alarms in my head. "Are you kidding me?" the solider just stared at me in complete confusion at my reaction. "Uhhh, no" he simply replied, questions written all over his face. "Did Orpheus know your name when you first met?" Judas, still confused, replied, "Yes, he actually knew my name before I introduced myself." I was slightly appalled at Orpheus's choice in people but then I was impressed on how much of a showman he really was. I could see him laughing privately in his grand room on the irony of the situation.

The room was almost completely dark by now and I could barely make out Judas's face in the gloom. Luckily I could not make out the pictures on the wall either. Outside the window a cluster of lights caught my eye. I walked towards the opening and looked at the lake below. Just across the way were a group of torches making their way across the bridge. The story had resumed.


End file.
